Sony Investigating PS3 Hack Claims

Sony is looking into reports its PlayStation 3 console has been hacked and that the only way a security fix can be issued is through releasing new hardware.

Late last month, a hacker group calling itself fail0verflow made a claim it has cracked the PS3 in such a way that Sony will be unable to fix the security flaw with a simple firmware update. The group says it has discovered private root keys that would allow pirated PS3 software to be authorized to run on the console.

"The only way to fix this is to issue new hardware," a fail0verflow member recently told the BBC. "Sony will have to accept this."

The group's claims have not been proven to work thus far, but in theory this could open up the floodgates for pirated software to plague gaming's most secure console. Sony has responded saying it will release a firmware update to fix the potential security breach despite the group claiming otherwise.

"We are aware of this, and are currently looking into it," Sony told Edge Online. "We will fix the issues through network updates, but because this is a security issue, we are not able to provide you with any more details."

This isn't the first time the PS3 has been reportedly hacked. Last January, famed iPhone hacker George Hotz claims to have cracked the console's security but he reportedly did not released the exploit to the public.